Quick Comments: The current state of this Bucks team they are a complete mess. Jennings and Maggette will undoubtedly take the majority of the shots. With this roster I can imagine Jennings having an incredibly inefficient season. All the SF’s are limited defensively and they lack a big who can put the ball in the hoop. For realism I did not factor in Jonas for this season not that he’d make much of a difference for them anyways.

Quick Comments: There is no doubt that the guards can score between Kemba, Chandler, and Gordon. The defense though will be pretty bad and the Pistons will need to develop quick. Monroe should continue to become one of the better big men in the league but beyond that the big men consist of 2nd round rookies or unproven pro players. I do however think that Dorsey will develop into a solid rebounded and defender.

Quick Comments: The Augustin and Jimmer backcourt dynamic should definitely be interesting. Hendo will be a solid option and Jackson and Diaw are vets who can produce on a nightly basis. The front line is pretty poor however.

Quick Comments: I think just having Deron for a full season will lead to some more wins, however the Nets made no real moves which would have me to believe that they would accelerate to a playoff spot. The front line depth is still cruddy, they still lack a perimeter shooter beyond Morrow, and no one other than Deron in the backcourt can create a shot for themselves. Not very many improvements on the roster. Having JuJuan Johnson and N’Diaye as key backups this early in their careers is a disaster when really both should be in the D-league at this time.

Quick Comments: Much improved team, the Williams and Bogut combo will be lethal in years to come. Gooden and Jamison are two solid bigs. Biyombo will probably spend most of the season in the D-league. Really I think PG/PF/C you are set for a long time. Brooks could definitely develop into a quality starter. I think SF is the obvious spot of weakness. Overall I think the Cavs will be reenergized and competitive however youth will be their downfall in the 2011 season.

Quick Comments: I think this is a much improved team and really has the Colangelo flavor. The front line is pretty good. Scola is one of the more underrated post players in the league. He isn’t without injury concerns however so a starting lineup of both he and Biedrins is incredibly risky. Ed Davis however is a great backup who personally I’d start him at the 4 and Scola at the 5. Derozan should be an Allstar and I actually like the SF rotation with Kleiza, Leonard, and Johnson. Calderon and Bayless are both solid PG’s.

Quick Analysis: Yup for the immediate this is a big downgrade for the Hawks. I guess we’ll have to see how the 2012 first rounder turns out from Utah but yeah trading Josh Smith for Blatche and Thompkins definitely hurts the team. Blatche is weak defensively and kills offensive flow. I guess however it gives the Hawks another guy they can run iso’s for. I do like acquiring Haywood. This is assuming the rest of the bench will be filled out with minimum contract guys.

Quick Comments: I think this is a solid team. The Bynum and Hansborough duo is great although the depth behind it is incredibly poor. I think the SF’s are solid although a lot will depend on the development of George. Collison is a very good PG.

Quick Analysis: Tony Parker definitely makes this team more competitive. Courtney Lee, Dooling, and Miles are all nice defensive additions. My issues with this team is the lack of a post scorer beyond Milsap plus the big man depth is very poor. Also this team lacks a real shooter. Turner is more of a creator and Young is the type of guy who gets buckets from hustle. I think acquiring a guy who can create for himself should definitely be a top priority coming into the next season.

Quick Analysis: Some improvements although nothing major. Thompson adds a scoring punch although will go through rookie ups and downs. Redd you can’t really expect anything consistent from him. Flynn is a definite downgrade from Douglas. In the fornt court it’s still Amare and no one.

Quick Analysis: Some decent moves made although nothing really that improves them greatly from last year, but of course another year with the big 3 together they will only continue to get better. Udrih is definitely an upgrade from Bibby. I do however believe that Belleneli and Dunleavy is a downgrade from James Jones and Mike Miller. Also still in the front line nothing to write home about.

Quick Analysis: Acquiring Kevin Martin was huge. Martin is one of the elite perimeter scorers in the league and with Rose collapsing defenses he should be an allstar easy. Dragic is a very exciting backup PG who can actually create things. West adds another guy who can create his own offense. I like the pick of Jimmy Butler, he’s a poor man’s Deng. I didn’t even factor Bertans in this as he wont’ be stateside this season. My only worry with this roster is with losing Gibson the backup bigs are not great.

Quick Analysis: I don’t think the Clippers are quite ready to take that next step. Deandre Jordan will need to continue to develop and beyond that the backup bigs are raw. The SF position still is average and the backup SG’s are bad. The PG spot is also a question as Mo Williams is inconsistent and Bledsoe turns the ball over way too much.

Acquiring Andre Iguodala definitely adds some wins however the Harris+Curry backcourt is most definitely a massive downgrade from the Ellis/Curry backcourt. Either Harris or Curry is going to be abused horribly defensively. Also the front court is very weak.

Quick Analysis: The Wolves have definitely taken a step towards the playoffs. Love+Mcgee is a very nice combo. The backup bigs are just ok. The teams downfall will be the inexperience of the guard and SF play. Johnson is still developing as is Batum. Jordan Crawford is fit more for a 6th man role and I wouldn’t expect Rubio to be a good player on the on set. Still they will manage to be competitive on a nightly basis.

Quick Analysis: Definitely a much improved Kings team and just having Evans healthy will be key. The bench however is the weakest in the league which will be the downfall of this team when competing for a playoff spot. Their starting 5 is incredibly strong however.

Quick Analysis: Randolph and Gasol is still one of the best duo’s in the league and Rudy is back, however there are some major issues with this team. Firstly the front court depth is really poor. Also a secondary perimeter scorer is missing. Lastly I think it’s a considerable downgrade from Conley to Sessions and Morris. This time however is a better PG or SG away from being a real contender, they could use more front court depth as well.

Quick Analysis: Nash will have this team competitive. Gortat and Landry is a solid front court duo. My only worry with this team is the lack of wing scorers. They are definitely taking steps in the right direction however and got a nice haul for CP3 who was likely leaving.

Quick Analysis: While this team lacks depth CP3 will lead them into the playoffs. West+Nene is actually one of the better duo’s in the league and actually reminds me of Randolph+Gasol. Frye and Lopez are solid bigs off the bench. My only worry with this team is the lack of wing scorers, Stuckey though will definitely help carry some of the scoring load. This team is a stud SG or SF away from being a top NBA contender.

Quick Analysis: Maybe the best defensive team in the league with Gibson/Varejao/Singleton/and Brewer coming off the bench. The Rockets 2nd team unit could actually be a very competitive team. With Lou Williams and Bargnani they will handle the bulk of the scoring with the other support guys.

Quick Analysis: I like the moves made, added some youth to help ease along the eventual rebuild. Still though as the #1 team in the league last year I can’t see the Spurs falling off as a later seed. Holiday and Hill is a very capable duo. Manu/Neal/and Jefferson are solid. TD will continue to digress into mediocrity. I will say though with Jrue/Hill/Neal/Blair/Mirotic/and Hawes they have some nice pieces for the future as well.

Quick Analysis: All key parts for the defending champs return but also the additions of Emeka Okafor, JJ Hickson, Al Harrington, Richard Hamilton, and Caron Butler to an extent. I can definitely see the Mavs however hitting some slumps of complacency in the regular season.

Quick Analysis: I really love the trade for the Lakers. Hibbert is a downgrade from Bynum however he is very reliable and the addition of Granger allows Kobe to take nights off and not have to be the #1 scorer. Hinrich is definitely an underrated move and very solid PG.

No upsets in the first round although the Orlando vs. Knicks series will be close. In the end the Knicks simply don’t have anyone who can stop D-12 and Prince should do an alright job on Melo.

(4) Orlando vs. (1) Chicago
(3) Boston vs. (2)Miami

With Noah and Asik the Bulls can somewhat contain Howard, in the end however the Bulls team defense is just too good and Kevin Martin will likely torch whoever is guarding him, and that’s not mentioning what Rose will do. As for the Boston Miami series, they are essentially the same teams as this year and I expect Boston to be a year older on the negative side and Miami to be a year better.

Chicago vs. Miami

PG: Derrick Rose vs. Beno Udrih
SG: Kevin Martin vs. Dwayne Wade
SF: Luol Deng vs. LeBron James
PF: Carlos Boozer vs. Chris Bosh
C: Joakim Noah vs. Joel Anthony
I have to give the Bulls the advantage here. Rose is just going to torch the Heat, and if they decide to switch Wade or LeBron on him that leaves Deng or Martin with a mismatch. The Bulls also have a far better bench with Delonte, Dragic, and Asik. Deng is built to slow down LeBron.

I think most of the series are pretty easy to pick. The Rockets I gave the advantage against the Spurs because they are just overall a better team. Gibson and Varejao will shut down the front court while Duncan will struggle to guard Bargnani on the perimeter. Kaman should also have an easy time. I think the Rockets perimeter defense is too strong for the Spurs.

The Rockets Thunder series will be tight. The Rockets have the perimeter defense to shut Durant down. I think in the end however the experience of the Thunder and hunger will push them through. With the Mavericks and Lakers it’s too hard to forget last years series. Chandler+Okafor will shut down Hibbert, while we know Dirk owns Gasol. Butler will play solid defense on Granger and Kobe. I think the Lakers are the more talented team with the brighter future however the Mavs experience will push them through.

In a tight series I have the Mavs pulling it out. I just don’t think the Bulls have anyone who can cover Dirk. Butler+Deng practically cross each other out. Marion will guard Kevin Martin and Rose, and the Mavs just have the experience edge and bench scoring punch with Barrea, Terry, and Hamilton. They also have the shot blockers in Chandler, Okafor, and Hickson to challenge Rose at the rim. With Kidd and Terry being gone after the season I definitely see the Magic coming out with urgency.